Before 1856, textiles were dyed exclusively with naturally occurring substances derived from mineral, plant, and animal sources. Through trial and error, humans discovered a group of dyes that proved their light and washfastness through centuries of use which have come to be considered the “classical” natural dyes. Their resulting colors range from subdued and somber, to bright and rich, affording endless possibilities for dyers seeking to create their own palettes in environmentally sensitive ways.
 
In this workshop students will gain a basic introduction to working with some of the classical natural dyes on wool: madder, cochineal, weld, and indigo. The class will begin with an overview of natural dyeing technique and preparatory steps including scouring and mordanting fiber. Each participant will dye multiple skeins of wool yarn in the four base dyes, with the opportunity to experiment with overdyeing some of those skeins to create secondary compound colors. Students will leave with natural dye recipes and a whopping three pounds of naturally dyed fingering weight wool yarn suitable for knitting, crocheting, or weaving at home.
 
Materials fee: $75
 
Prerequisite: None